Posted October 23, 2019
Train to the Douro Valley
If you’re deciding whether or not to head up to the Douro Valley from Porto, let me clear things up for you. Do it. Especially if it’s a sunny day.
We elected to take the train up. It’s a two hour ride each way and $20 euros round-trip. Be sure to sit on the right side of the train, window seat preferably. You’ll catch spectacular views of the famously terraced grape vine covered hillsides and lovely, grand estates.
There are other options to get up to the valley including all kinds of boat excursions that slowly cruise up the river and take all day (like 7 hours). I’m sure they are quite pricey, but, if you have the time and don’t mind the cost, I’m sure it would be lovely.
Pinhao, which means pine nut in Portuguese, was our destination in the Douro. I’ve never seen such a tranquil and picturesque riverside village.
We had the boardwalk along the river almost completely to ourselves. It looked like a few boat tours had docked, but the groups must have been hauled off somewhere else, probably wine tasting.
I’m not a wine drinker (darn migraines), so we stuck around Pinhao for a few hours and enjoyed the serenity, eating our sandwiches on a park bench in the sunshine.
On a walk we saw a little bungalow we wouldn’t mind settling in, right along the Douro River. Maybe just for the spring and fall. It had a wonderful vegetable garden down in front, and plenty of room for friends and family to visit. Dream on…
The Beautiful Churches of Porto
The churches in Porto are so colorful. We found them around every corner, or so it seemed. Many feature the blue and white Azulejo tiles, brilliant against the blue sky (and the gray sky too).
Most churches are front and center, prominently displayed at the top of a main boulevard or at the head of a Praca (square), but some are tucked away and jump out at you unexpectedly.
A perfect example of a well hidden church was just up the street from our apartment. It’s situated on a very narrow street, where it’s easy to miss and hard to appreciate its grandeur.
We walked by it multiple times without even noticing it. When I finally did notice it, I had to strain my neck as far back as I could go just to take in the entire facade.
Tiles of Porto
The Sao Bento train station in Porto has amazingly detailed, floor to ceiling, blue and white tiles depicting historical scenes.
Whole tour bus loads of people, who are not taking a train at all, stop in just to admire the tiles and get pictures. It’s really a very impressive display.
Tile Homes
I especially love the bright and colorful tiles that adorn many homes up and down the cobblestone streets of Porto.
The Trolley Cars
The Trolleys in Lisbon are a nightmare. Hoards of people line up for hours, waiting for the next Trolley. Even when you do get on board, chances are you’ll be smashed somewhere in the middle, standing the entire ride and unable to see a thing except your neighbor’s armpit.
With that in mind, we skipped the Trolleys in Lisbon and postponed until Porto, where the Trolleys are (supposedly) much less crowded. Being extra cautious of possible crowds, we decided to take a morning Trolley. We waited near the University for the #22 Trolley, due at 9:20 am.
I was shocked to find that we had the Trolley all to ourselves for almost our entire thirty minute ride! It was wonderful. I kept changing seats, jumping from one side of the aisle to the other, depending on the view and my mood. Steve mostly stayed in one seat, as is his style.
When we got down the hill to the end of the run, the conductor (if that’s what she is called) left her controls at the front and walked down the aisle, preparing the Trolley for the opposite direction. She flipped the backs of the seats so the they would face the right direction, and reversed the power connector cable on the top of the Trolley.
There were power controls at both ends. The Trolley back was now the front, and we were off and running up the hill to back where we started.
When an adventure, that area sounds amazing!